Hi Phil - these stats are a bit worrying. As you say it is good that online is still taking market share, but beyond that I wouldn't have expected so many categories to be going backwards, and 7% overall growth is paltry.
best,
N
Feb
20
2009
State of the US Online Retail Economy
5 Comments
Some great data coming in from Comscore about how the online retail space has fared in the US over the past few months and what they expect might happen in the first half of 2009.
Click on the images to see them full-size
First up, online ecommerce has slowed down in terms of growth to 7% in 2008 from 17% in 2007. Note it's still growing!
Secondly, this is actually due to a category skew whereby consumer electronics, video games and consoles, and sports and fitness categories have continued to increase in sales. Perhaps more people staying in and/or doing active things near them.
Thirdly, early 2009 has seen some growth pickup again after a drop in Q4 of 2008 - possibly predicting a bounce, but personally it shows this is mostly sentiment rather than 100% actuals.
Lastly, eCommerce is still taking market share away from high street stores and that's always a good thing :-)
Comments
-
Feb 20 2009 -
Feb 20 2009
7% is still growth though is it not...
-
Feb 21 2009
That much is undeniable :)
-
Mar 4 2009
Hmm, the rise is over all of 2008, but the Q4 figures are quite worrying actually becuase they're hiding the true value of each category. I'll bet your 16% gain in sports and fitness is dwarfed by the 34% drop in music, movies and video!
-
Mar 4 2009
Sure - but as long as people buy clothes for outdoor - it's all good.
